Improvement in toy watches and clocks



BEST-AVAILABLE COP 2SheetsSheet1 J. G. POWELL. Toy-Watch and Clocks. No. 204,607. Patented )une 4,1878.

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J. G. POWELL. l Toy-Watch and 01001;? No. 204,607. Patented .lune 4,1878.

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BEST AvAiLAeLE cosi UNITED STATES PATENT OEEle JOHN Gr. POW'ELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TOY. WATCHES AND CLOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 204,607, dated June 4, i878; application tiled october as, 1877.

To all lwhom, it may concer-n 5 l Be it known that I, JOHN G. POWELL, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Toy NVatches and Clocks or Time-Pieces Generally, of which The object of my invention is to make a cheap toy clock for the amusement of children, my improvements being also applicable to the construction of toy watches, and part ot' my invention being applicable to time-keepers generally. This object I attain in the manner which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, Sheet l, is a vertical section of my improved toy clock, drawn to an enlarged scale; Fig. 2, a modification of Fig. l; Fig. 3, a view of the front of the dial-plate; Fig. 4, a view drawn to a larger scale, and showing the eccentric-gear through the medium of which the shaft carrying the fast pointer is caused to operate the slow pointer; Fig. 5, Sheet 2, a vertical section of the said gearing; Fig. 6, a view of the escapement-motion; Fig. 7, arear view of the clock; and Figs. 8, 9, 10, and l1, views illustrating modifications of my invention.

In Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, A is the frame of the clock, the stand A forming part ot' this frame, the latter having in the back a recess for the reception of the glass B, between which and a disk or plate, D, fitted to the back of the frame, intervene the two pointers or hands a ai, the dial-plate E, and, in the present instance, a disk, F, of stiff paper or other suitablematerial, for a purpose set forth hereinafter.

Theworks of the clock are inclosed, or nearly so, by the annular case G and its disk H, the said case having slotted lugs 11 b secured to the frame A by set-screws, as shown in Fig. 7.

The disk -H is arranged to t snugly but turn freely in the annular casing G, and is confined to the latter in one direction bya iiange bearing against the inner side of the case, and in the other direction by an elastic cross-bar, I, secured to theback of the disk, and having tongues d d bearing against an annular ratchet, e, on the back of the said case G. This elastic cross-bar performs a threefold duty: First, it maintains the disk H and its attachments in place; secondly, it serves as an implement for winding up the mainspring, for which purpose it has lips or projections ff adapted to the linger' and thumb; and, thirdly, in connection with the ratchet, it serves the purpose of making the desired noise in winding up.

The inner end of the coiled spring K is attached to a hub, 7L, on the inside of the disk H, and the outer end to a iiange, t', at the back of the escapementwheel J, which is secured to the spindle M, the latter having one bearin g in the hub of the disk II, and the other in the plate D, and pinion K fixed to the said plate.

There is in the' end of the spindle M,- and forming part of the same, a pin, k, situated eccentrically in respectto the said spindle; and to this eccentric-pin is hung a wheel, N, having internal teeth adapted to those of the pinion, both wheel and pinion being confined in a recess in the disk l). The long pointer or hand a is secured directlyto the spindle M, and the short pointer to the wheel N, which has twelve teeth, the pinion K having eleven teeth, so that, as the spindle turns, the wheel N, controlled by the eccentric pin 7c, will turn but once thereon while the spindle revolves twelve times, and therefore the long pointera. will traverse the dial-plate twelve times as fast as the pointer a.

Although this device has been shown in connection with a toy clock intended for the amusement of children, and not to indicate time, it may be applied to timekeepers, the spindle of the minute-hand having an eccen tric, k, and the hour-hand being affixed to a wheel hung to the eccentric, and having twelve teeth adapted to a ixed pinion with eleven teeth.

The disk F, referred to above as being composed of stili" paper or other suitable material, is attached to and turns with the wheel N and with the short pointer, and on the face of this disk are a series of pictures of objects attractive to, or a source of instruction for, children, object after object appearing through an opening in the dial-plate while the disk is in operation.

At the rear of the plate D, near the upper end of the same, is a projection, m, to which pendulum P is hung, the pendulum-rod aving pallets p and q adapted to the teeth of the escapement or pallet wheel J, these teeth being formed by perforatin g the flange of the said wheel.

By hanging the pallet-lever within the rim of the pallet-wheel, as described, I am enabled to bring the fulcrum of the lever close up to the pitch-line of the teeth of the said wheel,

.whereby the friction on the said fulerurn is reduced, and the lever caused to swing more freely than when hung outside of the palletwheel, as usual.

In Fig. 6 I have shown both a pendulum and balance -wheel escapement, either of which may be used when my improvements are applied to the construction ot a toy clock'. When they are applied to a toy watch, however, the balance-wheel escapement onlymnst be used. This consists of a balance-wheel, It, hung loosely to the spindle M, and having a pinion, s, adapted to the teeth of a segment, t, ou the pallet-lever.

It will be understood that when the mechanism described above is used in connection with a toy watch, the case will be made to accord in shape with that of an ordinary watch;

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the disk H, its elastic cross-bar, and the mainspring are situated below the spindle M, the disk H being arranged to turn in an opening in a frame, H', being confined laterally thereto in the manner described above. The mainspring is contained within a cog-wheel, T, to which the outer end of the spring is attached, this cog-wheel gearing into a pinion, W, on the spindle M. By this arrangement the spring is made to serve as an eiiective driving medi um for a much longer time than when the spring is connected directly to the palletwheel.

In the modification, Figs. 8 and 9, a pinion, fw, in the inside of the case A is secured to a spindle, fw', passing through andarranged to turn in the said case, andprovided with a handle, fw, on the outside ot' the same, the wheel gearing into a pinion which is loose on the spindle M, and to which one end of the mainspring is secured, the other end being i In this instance i attached to the pallet-wheel. the elastic bar I and exterior ratchet are dispensed with, and in their place is used a spring-pawl, y, bearing against the teeth ot BEST AVAILABLE COPY the wheel w. iIn this modification the winding up of the spring is accelerated by the gearing described.

Another substitute for the elastic bar I and exterior ratchet is shown in Fig. 10, where 2 is an ordinary ratchet-wheel on the inside of the case, and 3 a spring-pawl bearing against t-he said wheel, to which one end of the mainspring is attached, the other end being connected to the pallet-wheel. This ratchetfwheel may be turned by the aid of any suitable projection on its exterior face.

In the modification, Fig. 1l, the elastic cross-bar I and exterior ratchet e are used as in Fig. l; but the disk H is recessed for the reception of the mainspring, the outer end of which is attached to the said disk and the inner end to a hub on the palletavheel.

I claim as my inventionl. In a toy clock,toy watch, or time-keeper, the combination of the following elements, namely: first, a spindle carrying the large pointer; second, a wheel carrying the small pointer, and having internal teeth; third, a pinion geared to the wheel; and, fourth, an eccentric for controlling the relative movements of the wheel and pinion, all substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the frame A ot' a clock or watch, the plate or disk D, and glass B with the wheel N, pinion K, and two pointers interposed between the said disk D and the glass, as set forth.

3. The combination of the spindle M, the recessed disk D, the pinion K, secured in the said recess, and the wheel N, hung to an eccentric oh the spindle, all substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the pallet-wheel J and its perforated ilange with a pendulum hung to the disk or plate D, between the latter and the palletwheel, as set forth.

5. The combination of the dish H, the elastic cross-bar I, and the ratchet at the back of the case.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence ot two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN G. POIVELL.

Witnesses:

RICHARD L. GARDINER, HARRY SMITH. 

